Website pre & post launch checklist

Website pre & post launch checklist

Content

  • All text free from spelling errors
  • Page and content formatting appropriate on all pages
  • Placeholder text removed
  • All pages have content
  • Privacy Policy included
  • Print stylesheet exists and tested
  • Favicon created and displays correctly (retina included) https://realfavicongenerator.net/
  • Device icons created and display correctly
  • Footer includes copyright statement
  • 404 page exists and informative
  • Correct author is attributed to pages and posts (as required)

SEO & Analytics

  • Page titles are descriptive and SEO friendly
  • All page titles are unique
  • Meta data included and appropriate
  • H1s used for page titles and only one H1 per page
  • XML sitemap has been generated and added to root of website
  • robots.txt is generated and added to root of website
  • 301 redirects for existing website are prepared and in place
  • Website can be accessed by search engines (remove noindex, nofollow for pages)
  • Google Analytics and relevant analytics/tracking tools installed

Social

  • Open Graph tags included across website and appropriate? (including images where possible)
  • Social accounts integrated, linking to correct URLs and use API for integrations

Markup

  • HTML has passed validation (or known issues noted)
  • CSS has passed validation (or known issues noted)
  • Bonus: CSS tested on CSS Lint (to hurt your feelings)
  • Site links have been tested and resolve correctly
  • JavaScript is error free

Accessibility

  • Website meets appropriate level of WCAG compliance
  • ARIA Landmark Roles specified
  • Semantic headings and structure used
  • Links are clearly recognisable and have :focus state
  • Images use appropriate ALT text
  • Alternatives provided for users with Javascript disabled
  • Forms have logical layout
  • Associated label for all form controls
  • Colour contrast tested
  • Website accessibility has been checked with Total Validator Pro or WAVE and issues resolved (exceptions noted)

Rendering

  • Displays & functions correctly in Firefox (Windows)
  • Displays & functions correctly in Firefox (Mac)
  • Displays & functions correctly in Chrome (Windows)
  • Displays & functions correctly in Chrome (Mac)
  • Displays & functions correctly in Safari (Mac)
  • Displays & functions correctly in Safari (iOS – Mobile)
  • Displays & functions correctly in Safari (iOS – iPad)
  • Displays & functions correctly in Chrome (iOS – Mobile)
  • Displays & functions correctly in Chrome (iOS – iPad)
  • Displays & functions correctly in Chrome (Android – Mobile)
  • Displays & functions correctly in Chrome (Android – Tablet)
  • Displays & functions correctly in stock browser (Android)
  • Displays & functions correctly in Microsoft Edge
  • Displays & functions correctly on large resolutions

Functionality

  • Forms have been tested and processed correctly
  • Required fields have been tested
  • Review input validation (min/max lengths, character limits)
  • Forms send to the correct recipient
  • Forms have confirmation URL or event tracking so submissions can be tracked
  • Forms process correctly with JavaScript disabled
  • Website search and search results function correctly

Optimisation

  • Images have been optimised
  • CSS is minified and combined
  • JavaScript is minified and combined (as much as possible)
  • Enable gzip compression
  • Ensure only necessary fonts, weights and character sets are installed
  • Run Google speed test and optimise accordingly (record score and known issues)
  • Run Web page test and optimise accordingly (record results)
  • Incorporate CDN / Caching as required

Security

  • Secure areas are locked down and not accessible by search engines
  • Default CMS login URL is changed
  • Default CMS username is changed
  • SSL Certificate is requested

Post Launch

  • Ensure site is visible to search engines
  • SSL certificates successfully installed
  • Images, media and links reference live URL
  • Webfonts integrated and working correctly on live site
  • Webfonts set to production (as required)
  • 301 redirects are in place and working correctly
  • Website URL has been submitted to Google
  • Generate a new sitemap.xml and upload to root
  • Site added to Google Webmaster tools and sitemap submitted
  • Analytics has been setup and integrated into website